Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Back Into The Studio | Finding Soul In Your Drumming

I’m heading back into the (home) studio tomorrow night. We
recorded all of our songs about five months ago, and I just didn’t like how the
bed tracks sounded. I’ll be the first to
admit that I felt a bit stiff during the sessions. Surely, there were “keepers” in the bunch,
but after playing them back; they just didn’t seem to have soul. Tomorrow, I’m
going for soul. How can I shake those anxious feelings that come right before
we push the record button? I’ll tell you.

I would say that preparing for the recording by practicing a
lot is probably a wise thing. Having
known these songs backwards and forwards for a while now, it’s all down to
execution. I have rehearsed these songs five out of the past seven days. I have
worked out, then rehearsed, and then done the reverse by banging on the kit
until I was worn out, following that up with a quick 2 mile jog. In prior years, I didn’t tie my physical exercise with my drumming. I didn’t
focus on cardio and leg strengthening. I
would lift weights, focusing on my shoulders, and the muscles that help me keep
my arms up. As a result, my legs just
didn’t feel strong enough. I’m three
months into this new program, and I love the fact that my whole body feels pretty
strong after playing the set twice.

Drumming Is All In The Mind

Now for the mental part of recording, I’m hoping for some
encouragement from the rest of the band, but I don’t really care to have the entire band watch me lay down drum
tracks. In fact, I prefer to have just one band mate at the session. I could be wrong, but I just don’t see the
need for all the cooks in my kitchen.
Most times, their minds wander after the first few takes. You might finish a song and ask them what
they thought, only to get a “That was okay.” from someone who you knew wasn’t
really listening. So here I go, stronger, ready, and hopefully with just one
helper in the booth.